Ocean City considers ban on short-term home rentals

By Brad Bell, ABC 7 News
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OCEAN CITY, Md. (WJLA) - Officials are set to discuss a potential ban on allowing owners to rent out single-family homes to vacationers for short-term periods in certain residential neighborhoods in Ocean City.

Complaints from residents in quieter and more affluent neighborhoods - where a majority of residents live year-round - about rowdy parties and crowded streets have prompted the proposed ban, that would only allow homes to be rented out for longer periods of at least several months at a time.

But other property owners, who say the prospect of making thousands of dollars in income during beach season was the main impetus for buying their Ocean City homes, would infringe upon their rights.

If approved, the changes would apply to neighborhoods such as Mallard Island, Caine Woods, Montego Bay and Little Salisbury, which consist largely of single-family detached homes, elderly full-time residents, and smaller plots for mobile homes.

Others, including real estate agents, say such a proposal could hurt the city's tourism industry.

The Planning and Zoning Commission is set to discuss the matter during its Tuesday night meeting this week.